# Football Association of Malaysia

The Football Association of Malaysia (commonly abbreviated as FAM; Malay: Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia) is the national governing body of football in Malaysia, headquartered at Wisma FAM. The FAM is also one of the founding members of both the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1954. The FAM oversees the organisation and development of football and advancing the game at all levels in Malaysia, and is responsible for all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory. This includes the men's, women's and youth national football teams as well as the Malaysian Amateur Football League and Malaysia Premier Futsal League.

## History
### Pre-independence football

The British introduced football to Malaya, and the locals quickly embraced the game, making it the country's leading sport. By the late 19th century, football had become a central activity in most sports clubs across Malaya, though it lacked proper structure. The establishment of the Selangor Amateur Football League in 1905 brought some administration and organization, but the competition remained limited to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.
In 1921, the battleship HMS Malaya visited the country. After competing in football and rugby matches with local teams, the officers and crew decided to commemorate the games by presenting trophies for annual competitions in both sports. This led to the establishment of a national football tournament involving all states in Malaya. Known initially as the Malaya Cup—later renamed the Malaysia Cup in 1963—the competition has been held continuously, except during the war years.
In 1926, the Selangor Amateur Football League was officially established. Ten years later, in 1936, the Football Association of Selangor was formed. This association began organizing tournaments, which inspired other states in Malaya to follow suit. Also in 1926, the Football Associations of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, and the Singapore Amateur Football Association came together to form the Malayan Football Association (MFA). The MFA was created to assemble a Malayan team to compete against an Australian side visiting Singapore that year.
In 1933, the MFA was reorganized into the Football Association of Malaya (FAM). Initially headquartered in Singapore, the FAM took on responsibility for running the Malaya Cup competition.
The first FAM president was Sir Andrew Caldecott, followed by M.B. Shelley, Dr. J.S. Webster, S.D. Scott, R. Williamson, and Adrian Clark, who served until 1940. As Europe entered full-scale war with Germany, FAM operations moved from Singapore to Malaya, and A.R. Singham became the first Asian secretary in 1941. After the war, J.E. King became FAM's president, succeeded by H.P. Byson and then Dr. C. Rawson, who served for two years before the position was taken over by the first non-British president.
In 1951, Tunku Abdul Rahman—later Malaysia's first Prime Minister—was appointed as FAM president. Under his leadership, football in Malaysia entered a new phase, with the FAM playing a more prominent role beyond organizing the Malaysia Cup.
In 1956, FAM became one of the 14 founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Two years later, it achieved full membership in FIFA.

### After independence

Tunku Abdul Rahman's passion for football played a pivotal role in the construction of the Merdeka Stadium, which in 1957 became a historic site as the venue for Malaysia's independence declaration from Britain.
The stadium also marked the beginning of the Merdeka Tournament (Pestabola Merdeka), which was popularly referred to as the 'Mini Asia Cup' from the 1960s to the 1980s. The tournament was a significant success and inspired similar events such as the Jakarta Anniversary Tournament in Indonesia, the King's Cup in Thailand, and the President's Cup in South Korea. The inaugural tournament—then the premier football competition in Asia—was won by Hong Kong. Malaya claimed the title three consecutive times, winning in 1958 and 1959, and sharing it with South Korea in 1960. The country later qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
In the early 1960s, the organization's name was officially changed to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). Tunku Abdul Rahman continued to promote football development, particularly through youth competitions, until his resignation in 1974. His successor, Malaysia's second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, held the post for one year before Hamzah Abu Samah took over in 1976. Hamzah, who was the Minister of Trade and Industry, introduced several initiatives to develop the sport.
Between 1976 and 1984, numerous football programs were implemented under Hamzah's leadership. The FAM entered a new phase when the Sultan of Pahang, Haji Ahmad Shah, assumed leadership. His tenure saw the introduction of the semi-professional league in 1989, which eventually transitioned into full professionalism. Despite these efforts, success on the international stage for Malaysia's national team remained elusive.
One of the highlights of Malaysian football history was hosting the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Domestically, the league underwent several transformations, culminating in the establishment of the Malaysia Super League (M-League) in 2004. However, the national team suffered significant defeats in international competitions during this period.
On 13 September 2018, FAM received the AFC Dream Asia Award in the Developing Category. In 2019, FAM was also awarded the AFC Dream Asia Award (Bronze) in the Inspiring Category.

## Associations affiliation

There are 20 Football Associations affiliated to the FAM. Besides the 14 FAs with regional location, six others are affiliated units.

### State affiliation

* Football Association of Perlis (PFA)
* Football Association Penang (FAP)
* Kedah Football Association (KFA)
* Perak Football Association (PAFA)
* Football Association of Selangor (FAS)
* Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA)
* Negeri Sembilan Football Association (NSFA)
* Melaka Football Association (MAFA)
* Johor Football Association (JFA)
* Football Association of Kelantan (KAFA)
* Football Association of Terengganu (TFA)
* Football Association of Pahang (PBNP)
* Football Association of Sarawak (FAS)
* Sabah Football Association (SAFA)

### Affiliation units

* Malaysian Malays Football Association (PBMM)
* Malaysian Chinese Football Association (MCFA)
* Malaysian Indian Sports Council (MISC)
* Royal Malaysia Police Football Association (RMPFA)
* Malaysian Armed Forces Football Association (AFFA)
* Football Coaches Association of Malaysia (PJBM)

## Competitions

The Football Association of Malaysia had run all top football competitions in Malaysia until 2015, when the Football Malaysia LLP (FMLLP), which is now known as the Malaysian Football League (MFL) was formed as part of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system. The MFL took over all the top professional football competition previously managed by the FAM. The list below are the competitions which are managed by the Malaysia Football League since it inception in 2015:
* Liga Super
* Liga Premier (until 2022)
* Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League
* Malaysia A2 Amateur League
* Malaysia A3 Community League
* Piala FA
* Piala Malaysia
* MFL Challenge Cup
* Piala Sumbangsih (Super cup)
* MFL Cup (U23)
FAM now focuses on youth development football, women football and futsal leagues and tournaments in Malaysia:
* Piala Presiden (U21)
* Piala Belia (U19)
* Malaysia National Women's League (Women's)
* Piala Tun Sharifah Rodziah (Women's)
* MPFL Division 1
* MPFL Division 2
* Malaysia Premier Futsal League (Women)
* Malaysia Futsal Cup
* Malaysia Futsal Cup (Women)
AFL is a subsidiary of MFL that is responsible to organize and manage lower football leagues in Malaysia.
* Liga A1 Semi-Pro
* Liga A2 Amateur
* Liga A3 Community

## Principals

Office-holders :
| Office | Name | Tenure |
| President | Sir Andrew Caldecott | 1933–1934 |
| President | M.B. Shelley | |
| President | J.S. Webster | |
| President | S.D. Scott | |
| President | R. Williamson | |
| President | Adrian Clark | 1938–1940 |
| President | J.E. King | 1947–1948 |
| President | H.P. Byson | 1948–1949 |
| President | C. Rawson | 1949–1951 |
| President | Tunku Abdul Rahman | 1958–1974 |
| President | Abdul Razak Hussein | 1975–1976 |
| President | Hamzah Abu Samah | 1976–1983 |
| President | Ahmad Shah of Pahang | 1984–2014 |
| President | Abdullah of Pahang | 2014–2017 |
| President | Tunku Ismail Idris | 2017–2018 |
| President | Hamidin Mohd Amin | 2018–2025 |
Office-holders :
| Office | Name | Tenure |
| General Secretary | A.R. Singham | 1941 |
| General Secretary | Kwok Kin Keng | 1948–1979 |
| General Secretary | T.P. Murugasu | 1980–1987 |
| General Secretary | Paul Mony Samuel | 1988–2000 |
| General Secretary | Dell Akbar Khan | 2000-2005 |
| General Secretary | Ibrahim Saad | 2005–2007 |
| General Secretary | Azzuddin Ahmad | 2007–2013 |
| General Secretary | Hamidin Mohd Amin | 2013–2018 |
| General Secretary | Stuart Ramalingam | 2018–2021 |
| General Secretary | Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar | 1 September 2021– |
| Name | Position |
| Hamidin Mohd Amin | President |
| Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub | Vice President |
| Ab Ghani Hassan | 2nd Vice President |
| S Sivasundaram | 3rd Vice President |
| Rosmadi Ismail | 4th Vice President |
| Subahan Kamal | 5th Vice President |
| Mohd Yusoff Mahadi | 6th Vice President |
| Stuart Ramalingam | General Secretary |
| Ismail Karim | Treasurer |
| Scott O'Donell | Advisor & Agent |
| Scott O'Donnell | Technical Director |
| Peter Cklamovski | Team Coach (Men's) |
| Jacob Joseph | Team Coach (Women's) |
| Wan Fakhrul Bakar | Media/Communications Manager |
| P Sentikumar | Futsal Coordinator |
| Kassim Kadir Bacha | Referee Coordinator |

## Management

April 2017 Source:

### Executive committee

* President: Hamidin Mohd Amin
* Deputy President: Subahan Kamal (Selangor), Mohd Yusoff Mahadi (Melaka)
* Vice-president: Joehari Ayub (Sabah), Ab Ghani Hassan (Negeri Sembilan), S. Sivasundaram (Selangor), Rosmadi Ismail (Kelantan)
* Other members: Ajisman Alias, Aminuddin Omar, Hishamudin Yahaya, Jefferey Low, Md Dali Wahid, Christopher Raj, Subkhiddin Mohd Saleh, Firdaus Mohamed, Suraya Yaacob, Shafizah Umamah Abdul Mutalib

### FAM Judiciary
#### Disciplinary

* Chairman: Baljit Singh Sidhu
* Deputy chairman: Abd Shukor Ahmad

#### Appeals

* Chairman: Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff
* Deputy chairman: Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif

### Club licencing
#### First Instance Body

* Chairman: Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif

#### Appeals Body

* Chairman: Wirdawati Mohd Radzi

### Treasurer

* Chairman: Ismail Karim

### National teams

* Chairman: Hamidin Mohd Amin

#### Malaysia national football team

* Manager: Peter(caretaker)

#### Malaysia national under-23 football team

* Manager: Juan Torres Garrido

#### Malaysia national under-22 football team

* Manager: Juan Torres Garrido

#### Malaysia national under-19 football team

* Manager: Juan Torres Garrido

#### Malaysia national under-16 football team

* Manager: Osmera Omaro

#### Malaysia women's national football team

* Manager: Soleen Al-Zoubi

#### Malaysia national futsal team

* Manager: Rakphol Sainetngam

#### Malaysia women's national futsal team

* Manager: Chiew Chun Yong